Reply To: Importing Word text and keeping local formatting?

That’s what I do as well, Gert. And since we use Xtags, we then save the Word file as a .txt file and import it that way. I also have a macro for the text file.

To no one in particular:

Nine times out of ten our clients tag the the files with codes such as <TX> <CT> <CN> etc. So the macros grab all that stuff, but the styles needed, and we then save as a text file and import it through xTags.

Other times the manuscript is so messy we have to have to it keyed/typed by our keyboarders. We mark it up with the pargraph styles we want and use Quark XPress marking-up. It’s so much easier than trying to mark up using InDesigns markup language. For example, they can just type “@TX:” for a text paragraph, instead of <para:text>; or an <I> for italic, instead of <charstyle:italic>. That sort of stuff. It saves us a lot of money as the keyboarders charge by the keystroke.

And to me Word files are pain in the butt. Nine times out of ten, all the styling is “normal” and tweaked by hand in Word. That is useless to me. There is no way I have time to click on paragraphs and apply the appropriate paragraph style. I don’t have the time with the crazy deadlines I face.

I need files tagged so I can import and begin paging right away. Sometimes I only have a day to get a 400 page book out.